Andre Pettipas and the Giants Release a Riveting Single, "Homesick"
- BUZZ LA
- Jun 18, 2021
- 6 min read
The East Coast-based rock band Andre Pettipas and the Giants pair up with acclaimed guitarist Christopher Thorn for their fan-favorite single, "Homesick."
Known as a rarity, Andre Pettipas and the Giants captivate listeners with their broad sounds that stem from genres like rock, hip-hop, pop, and progressive. Never afraid of stepping outside of the box, Andre Pettipas and the Giants always ensure to get their message across while never letting anything take the fun out of their creative process.
Said to be a nod to the late eighties and early nineties rock sound, Andre Pettipas and the Giants' latest single, "Homesick," not only strikes a nostalgic chord but an emotional one too. When asked about the single, Pettipas stated, "We were touring through Alberta, and we did this gig where only four people showed up. It was just one of those nights where I was like, 'what am I doing with my life?' The feeling passed, but the song stuck."
Listening to "Homesick," we're met with a beaming electric guitar entrance from none other than Christopher Thorn, accompanied by Pettipas' fierce vocal portrayal, truly paying tribute to the prime era of classic rock. As Andre Pettipas and the Giants make their way through the wavy single with their mid-tempo drum breaks, soaring electric guitars, and Pettipas' melodic vocal stylings, they genuinely fuel us with this emotional yet exhilarating sensation.
We must also mention the relatable lyricism that Andre Pettipas and the Giants deliver to listeners as they take us through the exhausting ventures that everyone is bound to encounter along their journey. Taking us through the hook one last time, Pettipas belts his vocals while closing the song with vast energy and passion.
Find Andre Pettipas and the Giants' latest emotionally rich single, "Homesick," on all digital streaming platforms.
Welcome to BuzzMusic, Andre Pettipas, and the Giants. We're enamored by the emotional depth and passion within your recent single, "Homesick." Why do you think this single has grown to be a favorite?
Thank you so much for the kind words. “Homesick” is a song that connected instantly when we began playing it live. With the dark, almost Alice In Chains style versus breaking into the high energy, power ballad emotional chorus I think musically, its simple structure and wide sonic range are what caught listeners from the get-go. Pair that with relatable lyrical matter and you’ve got a song that speaks to the masses. So many people have felt this kind of “Homesick” before. It may not necessarily be for your home but it could be missing the people you love, being overworked in a job you hate, missing who YOU want to be as a person.
What was it like working with Christopher Thorn when creating the instrumentals for "Homesick?” What drew you to his guitar stylings to feature on this single?
Having CT play on the track is nothing short of amazing. I grew up listening to Blind Melon on repeat as they’re my favorite band. He tracked his part at his studio in California (Fireside Sound) which we hope to someday visit. I’ve always admired his versatility and the way he is able to craft his parts into something melodic but never overplaying. We had finished up the core of the track in the studio and our producer, Brian Moncarz (Alice Cooper, Our Lady Peace, The Tea Party) and I were discussing how cool a slide part would be in the chorus. He knew how big of a Melon fan I was and mentioned he would reach out to Christopher to see if he was interested in playing on the track. A few weeks later we got his part back and Moncarz put it in the mix and sent it to me. I had my in-ear monitor buds pacing around my house when I heard him enter in the chorus. My eyes teared up and I had a mile-wide smile. The tone and part he created were phenomenal. His involvement took the track to another level and we couldn’t be more thrilled to have him on board.
Could you break down the members within your group and how you tackled the creative and songwriting process for "Homesick?” Did your group share the lyric writing and instrumental arrangements?
It started out as a song I had written that I had left in our demo folder in Dropbox. I hadn’t told the band about it because it was a “dumb sad song” and I initially didn’t think it would fit our style. Our drummer, Mark Cosh was browsing through the tracks one day and said, “Man, what is this song? It’s great.” I never thought it would be a song that would be brought to the Giants. It was an emotional release for me getting the lyrical matter out and I figured it was another one of the hundred sitting in song purgatory. At our next rehearsal, we began giving it the full band effect. One of the most important factors we were trying to look at in this song is to not overplay. It was a simple song that we wanted to focus on the emotional energy. Mark was adamant that we work on the track because he felt the potential (super glad that he pushed for this one.) He had a good chunk of his parts already written by the first rehearsal. He’s very quick to catch onto a song and even if it’s something brand new we link up on certain stops and fill together so well. We then went on to work on syncing up with the full band on powerful stops and letting that chorus fly. After playing through a handful of times, guitarist John MacDonald began to add a tremolo effect on the chorus which I loved instantly. He is a fantastic player who adds spacey elements to our songs. He actually dug into playing slide guitar heavily after hearing Christopher’s part and has been incorporating it into a lot of our new material. We wanted to give it that late 90’s early 2000s feel that bands like Our Lady Peace and Green Day (in particular Boulevard Of Broken Dreams) would do. Our bassist, Travis Pettipas is a big melodic leader in the band. He is the one that helps the transitions with his clever fills and his ability to dance around the notes helps bring a unique element to our songwriting. The core of the song came together rather quickly with the order of the song staying very similar to the demo. There’s a big stop after the small solo section later in the song that comes to mind that helped the song with another minor but huge lift. Moncarz had told us to try another big stop there to let it come back in like a bat out of hell.
How does "Homesick" reflect your group's brand and what you strive to represent?
“Homesick” is a song that we hope speaks to new listeners. We strive to bring entertainment and realness to our songs. I want every word I sing to feel honest and GENUINE. To feel the heartache in a vocal is something you want to capture and I feel like that is a huge part of our band. Our biggest goal with the band is connection. We want to connect with our audience and fans; make them feel alive while they’re listening to our music or at a show. The pandemic has shown us how much we need our fans as much as they need us. We can’t wait to get back on stage and see what the rest of the world has to offer.
How do singles like this help listeners get to know you better?
I believe this song really captures our emotional side which is great to bring in new listeners (the connection thing again.) It also shows the ability to be able to craft a simple song with emotion that has mainstream playability which I’m always looking for in the music I listen to. I want something I can scream at the top of my lungs and this chorus is one of those songs. I generally scrap any song I write that doesn’t keep my interest for the duration. If I’m iffy on it, so will the other listeners. Another layer shows perseverance; being able to have one of your heroes playing on a song you wrote shows you how sticking with your dreams and working hard on your craft can pay off. The music industry is a tough game. In order to be successful you have to work hard, take chances, and sometimes you might just get lucky if you’re doing those things. We’re a band that takes pride in our live show and want our songs to feel that way as they are recorded. It’s hard to capture the energy of a live show onto an album but we feel like our upcoming record, “No Fools No Fun” did just that.
What's next for you?
We will be touring the East Coast of Canada for summer 2021. In mid-September, we’ll finally be hitting the road again touring across Canada to continue the support of the release. The fall will see us playing universities and heading to Newfoundland to tour. Early plans for 2022 see an Australian tour and preparation to record a live album before releasing our 3rd album in the summer of 2022.
